Day: 11 June 2015
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REVIEW | The Sea Doo Spark Personal Water Craft
★★★★ | The Sea Doo Spark Personal Water Craft
Sea-Doo Like To Be Beside the Seaside
Like many people, my only experience of a personal watercraft (PWC) has been on holiday flogging a less than fresh example up and down the coast. Even when on a less than healthy machine, they are so much fun that you might even consider buying one. The Sea-Doo Spark is just the kind of pwc a first-time buyer may gravitate to thanks to the combination of low price and clever tech designed to make for an easier ride. It’s a looker too, the vibrant colours complementing the angular lines. If you get bored of your Spark’s hue, you can buy replacement bolt on body panels or graphic packages as well.
The Spark is one of the smaller, lighter machines on the market and comes available as a two or three-seater. Two power levels are available and there’s the option of iBR, intelligent brake and reverse. This not only makes manoeuvring a doddle, it also enables you to stop around 100ft sooner, making things safer and giving you more confidence. The three-cylinder 900cc Rotax engine is quiet, smooth yet plenty powerful enough to get up to 50 mph if you opt for the high output version.
Hopping aboard, made easier by the optional fold up step, the controls are simple and clear. Thumb the starter button and the engine catches easily, defaulting into Eco mode with around half power and improved fuel economy. Operating the brake and reverse soon become second nature allowing you to easily and accurately get off and on a trailer. A couple of button presses later, you unleash full power turning a fairly quick machine into one that way faster than I expected, even a few seconds of throttle see the numbers on the GPS speedo rise rapidly. The Spark is keen to change direction and great fun to throw about.
Moving from Shoreham harbour to open seas just off Brighton gave me the chance to try it in choppy waters, a daunting prospect considering my previous ride had been in calm water on a windless day. With a couple of other guys on Sea-Doos with me as well, I was thankful for the brakes on a couple of occasions! The Spark proved more than up to the task, staying stable even cresting waves taller than itself. Within a couple of minutes I had the throttle pinned sending it into the air over wave after wave, carving through the rough seas. Even this increased exuberance failed to upset the Spark, at no point did I feel like I was about to be ejected and I stayed on the craft at all times.
For a basic price of £4,999, the Spark comfortably undercuts its competition. This is however for the basic low output model that doesn’t have the option of iBR. To get this system, you need to spend another £900 for the high output model and then spend another £600 on iBR. Although the system is definitely worth £600, it’s a shame it isn’t offered on the lower power model which is probably going to be quick enough for most people anyway. Still, this is the only real flaw in an inexpensive, easy to transport (most smaller cars could still tow this), fun and cheap to run pwc. If you’re tempted by a bit of nautical fun, this seems hard to beat.
CREDIT: PR Supplied
CREDIT: PR SuppliedPros
Affordable
Easy to ride
Seriously good funCons
iBR only available on high output model
Digital display could be a bit higher
Seat could be more padded to protect your balls on landing -
Gay European Men In Homophobic Countries At Greater Risk Of HIV
Europe’s most homophobic countries may be paving the way for a rise in HIV cases among gay and bisexual men, according to new research published in the journal AIDS.
An international team of researchers from Europe and the US looked at HIV-related service use, need and behaviours among 175,000 gay or bisexual men living in 38 European countries with differing levels of national homophobia.
They found that men in homophobic countries had fewer sexual partners and were less likely to be diagnosed with HIV. However, they also found those men knew less about HIV, were less likely to use condoms and are at greater potential risk of getting HIV when they do have sex.
As technological advancements such as mobile sex-seeking apps mean men in the most homophobic countries have increasing opportunities for sexual contact, they are quickly overcoming the relative lack of brick-and-mortar sex venues such as bars and saunas. The researchers warn the effects of homophobia could therefore have a very concerning impact on the spread of HIV.
Co-author Dr Ford Hickson from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “Our findings are surprising as it may appear it’s effectively safer for men to stay in the closet in the most homophobic countries because their HIV-risk is lower there. But the closet is a difficult, shameful place which is particularly harmful to mental health and wellbeing. It’s also a place where men are kept ignorant, under-resourced and poorly skilled when dealing with sex and HIV. As the way people meet changes with technology, the homophobia that may have appeared to be protecting these men will now be exposing them to huge risk.”
The research was conducted by the Yale School of Public Health, Columbia University, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services, and the German Robert Koch Institute.
Researchers measured national homophobia across Europe using a combination of the laws of a country and the results of social attitudes surveys. They then analysed data from 175,000 gay or bisexual men in 38 European countries who completed the European MSM Survey (EMIS) in 2010 to compare the level of HIV-related service use, need and behaviours among groups of men living in more homophobic and less homophobic countries.
The researchers say their findings suggest new approaches need to be considered to reduce oppression without increasing the HIV risk.
Dr Hickson added: “Previous research on HIV prevention in Europe has shown there are four key interventions in suppressing HIV: condom distribution, peer-led group education, peer-outreach education projects, and universal access to anti-retrovirals for men with HIV. All health authorities could be commissioning these services as well as working to protect the human rights of sexual minorities.”
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Everything you wanted to know about escorting but were too afraid to ask
There are many professions that involve selling products, goods and services, but how hard can it be when the product you’re selling is yourself? We ask the winner of this year’s Hookie Awards (A more adult version of Britain’s Got “Talent”) all the things you wanted to know about being an escort but were too afraid to ask.
We put your burning questions to Adam Dacre…
What age did you start escorting?
I did it once for a month when I was 23, but I made it a full-time profession at 27.
You’ve just been crowned the UK’s winner of the Hookies. Was there a lot of, ahem, Stiff competition?
There was quite a lot of “stiffness” going on back stage. The competition was very friendly. Even though I was going against big American names, we all became very good friends.
How is the winner declared, do you have to go out with the judges, one night each?
Mostly it’s through online voting. But the regional London contest was also judged by a panel of industry judges and the cheering of the bar audience.
What do you charge for a night and has this changed since winning?
I’m afraid I have to keep this information to myself. Suffice to say this, I haven’t changed my fees since the competition. They are mostly based on my self-worth.
What’s the most bizarre request you’ve had with a client?
I don’t classify anything as bizarre anymore. But I do get a lot of total domination requests: from trampling, scatting, pissing, humiliation, etc.
Do you have age limits you wouldn’t escort for?
Nothing beyond 100 years old.
Do you have a boyfriend and does he ever get involved with the escorting?
Yes, we often get duo requests and really enjoy working together.
What’s been the most embarrassing experience you’ve ever had?
As a professional escort, I don’t really get embarrassed by anything. Some situations might be more uncomfortable than others, but never embarrassing.
Do you ever escort groups and if so what’s been the largest party?
Yes, I do. The largest would’ve been around 10 people at the time, but with many coming and going.
Have clients ever asked for gifts at the end of the evening?
I did leave a pair of my underwear behind once or twice.
Have you ever escorted anyone famous and if so would you give us a sneaky hint?
One of my clients was a Hollywood producer of a very popular movie series.
What was your first and last client and what did they make you do?
Maybe I am lucky, but both of them were very nice experiences, that I would’ve enjoyed it even if I wasn’t hired. The first one even became a good friend.
How do you prepare between each client?
Depends on what the job requires. Sometimes I have to look immaculate, sometimes I need to be more “au natural”. Whatever the requirements, I always put my mojo on.
Do you ever bottom for clients and if so how do you keep yourself clean?
In my case, it’s very easy, as I am a total top.
Have you ever turned up and refused a client on meeting them?
It happens very rarely, but if a client doesn’t treat you with respect, they are not worth having an experience with you.
You can see more of Adam at: twitter.com/AdamDacreXXX
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Anti-Gay Marriage Cake Baker Outlines Appeal Grounds
The Christian-run bakery which refused to bake a pro-marriage cake has outlined its appeal to the judgement that found it had acted unlawfully in refusing the cake order.
The bakery, in Northern Ireland, was found to have acted unlawfully when it refused to make a cake that bore a pro-gay marriage slogan for Gareth Lee, by a court last month. It was ordered to pay £500 in compensation to Mr Lee.
In a statement released by the Christian Institute, an organisation that has funded many appeals against legal matters surrounding gay issues, has raised three questions to support their appeal.
- Whether the judge was correct, as a matter of law, to hold that Ashers had discriminated against Mr Lee directly on grounds of sexual orientation.
- Whether the judge was correct, as a matter of law, to hold that Ashers had discriminated against Mr Lee directly on grounds of religious belief or political opinion.
- Whether the judge was correct, as a matter of law, to hold that Ashers was not entitled to protection as a result of the rights under Articles 9 and/or 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
A spokesperson for the Christian Institute, Simon Calvert, believes that “most people” would support an overturning of the ruling that found that the business had acted unlawfully, this despite a poll undertaken in 2014 which showed that the majority supported same-sex marriage.
The Christian Institute is a registered charity that has sought to retain section 28, to raise the age of consent for gay people and opposed the Civil Partnership Act and same-sex marriage act.
The Christian Institute has backed many legal actions in the past, but has been unsuccessful in many attempts, most notably the Christian Institute backed Hotel owners Mr and Mrs Ball, who infamously denied lodgings to a gay couple. Numerous attempts of appeal have all subsequently failed.
